‘the Four Seasons’ Reviews: Tina Fey Switches Gears From ‘30 Rock’ For A Relationship Comedy That Hit With Some Critics, But Not For Others

If only the television critics who have given Tina Fey’s new Netflix comedy series mixed reviews had listened to Fey herself. Last month, while appearing as a guest on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, Fey explained the new series was not a joke-a-minute romp like 30 Rock or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Lo and behold, in the few reviews that have leaned negatively on The Four Seasons, Fey has been seemingly given a demerit for not producing a comedy exactly like her other hits.

“It’s a very gentle program,” Fey told Poehler. “I can’t wait to see if people are interested in a good hang. I hope it’s the TV equivalent of a good hang. There’s story, but there’s no zombies, there’s no mysteries … for the people who want 100 jokes a minute, this is a departure. These characters are funny but it’s all completely human scale. I feel like this is a little science experiment, where people might be like, ‘No.’”

Indeed, some critics have used several more words to make the same declaration. “The Four Seasons is pleasant. Spending time with Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Will Forte, and especially Colman Domingo will never be arduous or unfunny. They exude niceness and charm, while squeezing in clever quips or well-timed one-liners at a semi-regular clip. Still, given the barrage of comedy we’re used to seeing from Fey’s sitcoms — be it 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt or even Mr. Mayor — it’s odd to sit through so much of The Four Seasons with little more than a sedated smile,” wrote Ben Travers for Indiewire.

“The Four Seasons isn’t going for the same kind of densely layered joke delivery as Fey’s 30 Rock and its spiritual successors, which is fine. But I found myself wishing it had at least retained some of those shows’ snappy humor, taut pacing or specifically quirky world-building,” wrote Angie Han for The Hollywood Reporter.

Still, outside of critics reviewing the show they expected versus the show Fey produced, most reviews have been positive, particularly with writers in the same age bracket as the show’s characters.

Based on the 1981 movie written and directed by Alan Alda, The Four Seasons focuses on three couples and longtime friends: Nick and Anne (Steve Carell and Kerri Kenney-Silver), Kate and Jack (Fey and Will Forte), and Danny and Claude (Colman Domingo and Marco Calvani). When Nick and Anne separate, the decision has far-reaching implications for the couple and their friends, and Fey, along with co-creators Lang Fisher (30 Rock, Never Have I Ever) and Tracey Wigfield (30 Rock, Saved by the Bell), mines comedy and pathos from incredibly relatable situations for 50-something viewers.

“Lamenting lost youth is the destiny of the middle-aged. Yet while The Four Seasons understands grown-ups’ wistfulness for wild adventures, crazy nights, and blossoming love, it also understands that recapturing glory days is a futile endeavor — and, in fact, might be something adults, deep down, don’t really want,” wrote Nick Schager for the Daily Beast. “Tackling the headaches of marriage with wit and warmth, it contends, persuasively, that the search for peace, contentment, and togetherness — and for who you are, what you want, and where you’re going — doesn’t end once the knot has been tied.”

The Four Seasons is currently a dark horse Emmys contender, sitting just outside the field of Best Comedy Series nominees in the Gold Derby odds. Fey is also among several actresses vying for a spot in the Best Comedy Actress field. (Carell’s category placement is up for debate, as viewers of the show will now note, while Forte, Domingo, and Calvani could all presumably run in the supporting category.)

Ahead, more reviews of The Four Seasons. All episodes are out now on Netflix.

Saloni Gajjar, AV Club: “It’s easy to get lost in the world of The Four Seasons. The series hops between a sunny lakeside, a cozy inn, and a snowy mountain, with the beautiful locations doubling as a backdrop for some serious introspection from its protagonists. The show’s ruminative spirit is lifted directly from the 1981 film it’s based on. Co-creators Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield pay dutiful homage to Alan Alda’s The Four Seasons while giving the plot just enough of a modern makeover. And despite a few foibles, this more heartbreaking and less wry take on middle-age friendships and crises is extremely enjoyable.”

Lucy Mangan, The Guardian: “The Four Seasons follows a year’s worth of the can-we-really-call-them-travails of three well off, beautifully clad couples in their 50s. They have been friends since their college days and now go for weekends away together four times a year, as we all would if we had the money, time and wardrobes. The eight-episode series is a remake and update of the 1981 Alan Alda film of the same name, by Tina Fey, Tracey Wigfield and Lang Fisher. It’s a creative triumvirate that promises much and – to the delight of Fey fans, who may feel it’s been a long wait since anything approaching the joy and genius of her Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt series – largely delivers.”

Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times: “It’s an adult entertainment in the original sense, notwithstanding a character ‘only’ in her early 30s, with jokes about aches and pains, flagging energy, earlier bedtimes, the stresses of long relationships in longer lives, and here and there a sense of nostalgia for the people they used to be. Many will relate.”

Alison Herman, Variety: “The tone skews decidedly dramedic, trading a rapid pace of punchlines for a more melancholy take on long-term matrimony. The Four Seasons is ultimately able to deliver some astute insights into adult relationships, but also struggles to settle into this awkward new rhythm. The Fey brain trust is visibly working to expand its repertoire — an effort that, inevitably, comes with some growing pains.”

Judy Berman, Time: “Warm. Wistful. Tender. Empathetic. These are not words typically associated with Tina Fey, whose humor has a reputation for being brutal. But they all apply to The Four Seasons, a new Netflix dramedy series co-created by and starring Fey that follows three apparently settled middle-aged couples through a year of upheaval. Absent are the absurd characters, rapid-fire jokes, and dryly pessimistic social commentary with which Fey made her name on Saturday Night Live, and that have defined her career, from Mean Girls to 30 Rock. In their place is a moving depiction of marriage and friendship among Gen X empty nesters.”

Dave Nemetz, TVLine: “Tina Fey’s comedy style is well established by now: rapid-fire dialogue filled with pop culture references and surreal cutaways. Her new Netflix show The Four Seasons, though, is nothing like that. More cozy than frantic, The Four Seasons — now streaming; I’ve seen all eight episodes — is a warm, laid-back relationship comedy that offers a cast of comedy all-stars, gorgeous locations and a unique look at people facing the middle chapters of life. It may not be as laugh-out-loud funny as 30 Rock at its best, but it’s an enjoyable watch that feels like catching up with old friends.”